Body Fat Calculator
What is the Body Fat Calculator?
Our Body Fat Calculator allows you to estimate the percentage of body fat in your body. This information is essential for understanding your overall health and fitness, as it provides insights beyond just simple weight measurements. Accompanied by other measures of physical fitness, such as BMI, we can get a better picture of our overall health.
Importance of Body Fat Percentage
You might want to know your body fat percentage to help you assess your fitness level, tailor your exercise and diet plans, and monitor the progress of your new diets and exercise routines. It is a more accurate measure of health than body weight alone, as it differentiates between fat and lean mass.
How to Use Our Body Fat Calculator
In order to use our Body Fat Calculator, you must start by choosing or filling in a variety of inputs. Before you start, make sure you have a tape measure handy, as you will need it to assess some values you might not be aware of yet.
| # | Step | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select Your Biological Sex | Choose between MALE or FEMALE. |
| 2 | Enter Your Age | Input your AGE in years. |
| 3 | Enter Your Weight | Choose either kilograms (KG) or pounds (LB) to input your weight. |
| 4 | Enter Your Height | Choose either centimeters (CM) or feet (FT) to input your height. |
| 5 | Enter Your Neck Circumference | Choose either centimeters (CM) or feet (FT) for your neck circumference. You will need the tape measure for this step. |
| 6 | Enter Your Waist Circumference | Choose either centimeters (CM) or feet (FT) for your waist circumference. You will need the tape measure for this step as well. |
| 7 | Enter Your Hip Circumference (Female Only) | For the FEMALE option, you also need to input your hip circumference, for which you will need the tape measure. |
| 8 | Click on CONVERT | After you do this step, your result will appear at the bottom of the page. It will be organized in a neat table, where you will get your result interpreted by two methods: the U.S. Navy Method and the BMI Method. Alongside this, you will also receive a breakdown of your body mass in the unit of weight of your choosing, as well as a categorization of your overall fitness and the ideal body fat percentage for your category. |
Example Calculation
We will consider 2 examples below, to demonstrate the different formulae for each of them. Keep in mind, that for manual calculations, the heights are always in CM and the weight is always in KG. In case you have values in other units, you must convert them first.
Example Calculation (U.S. Navy Method)
Let’s calculate the body fat percentage for Diego, a male, aged 30, weighing 80 kg, 175 cm tall, with a neck circumference of 40 cm and a waist circumference of 90 cm:
Using the U.S. Navy method, the formula for calculating body fat percentage for men is:
BodyFatPercentage=86.010×log10(WAIST−NECK)−70.041×log10(HEIGHT)+36.76
Plugging in the values, we get:
BodyFatPercentage=86.010×log10(90−40)−70.041×log10(175)+36.76 =
86.010×log10(50)−70.041×log10(175)+36.76
Calculating the logarithmic values:
BodyFatPercentage=86.010×1.69897−70.041×2.24304+36.76
BodyFatPercentage= 25.73
His estimated body fat percentage is around 25.73%.
For women, the formula is different, because it also includes the hip circumference. It goes as follows:
BodyFatPercentage=163.205×log10(WAIST+HIP−NECK)−97.684×log10(HEIGHT)−78.387
Example Calculation (BMI Method)
The BMI method is slightly simpler to calculate manually. Let’s assess the body fat of Carla, a female, aged 22, weighing 55 kg, being 168 cm tall, and having a waist measurement of 65 cm, a hip measurement of 95 cm, and a neck measurement of 37 cm.
First, we calculate the BMI (see our BMI calculator for more details):
BMI= WEIGHT÷(HEIGHT IN METERS)2 = 55÷1.682 = 19.49
Now, we can plug the value into the BMI Method formula:
BODY FAT = 1.2xBMI+0.23xAGE-5.4
BODY FAT = 1.2x19.49+0.23x22-5.4 = 23.05
Her body fat is estimated at 23.05%.
For males, the formula is a little different.
BODY FAT = 1.2xBMI+0.23xAGE-16.2
Courses of Action Based on Body Fat Percentage
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Underfat | If your body fat percentage is below the essential fat level, you should consult a healthcare professional to prevent future health issues. |
| Healthy/Normal Fat | Maintain a balanced diet and regular physical activity to keep your body fat within this range. |
| Overfat | Improve your diet, increase physical activity, and possibly seek professional guidance to reduce body fat. |
| Obese | Consult a health care specialist to help you with developing a comprehensive weight loss plan. |